Page 13 of The Cursed and the Broken
For a moment, I could have sworn his shadow deepened. My feet stepped back before my mind could catch up, self-preservation kicking in.
“Your friend is gone,” he said flatly. “The forest has her now.”
I stared at his retreating form incredulously, panic rising in my throat. “What do you mean the forest has her?” I shouted. “You’re just going to drop that and disappear?”
He looked over his shoulder with a crooked grin. “You said so yourself, Freckles. You can protect yourself. I so hope that’s true; it would be a shame for a body like yours to be wasted.”
Squeezing my eyes shut in frustration, I ignored the anger surging through my veins and took deep, soothing breaths. His words echoed ominously in my head. He had spoken of the woods like a living thing. A creature who craved blood and preyed on the living.
When I opened my eyes, the stranger had disappeared. Deathly silence blanketed the trees as I stared at the space he’d occupied previously. It occurred to me I hadn’t even asked his name. But one thing was for sure.
He knew Hanna, and I was going to find out how.
SIX
It was impossible to telltime from deep within the woods. The tree canopies squeezed so tightly together the light of day could not pierce through the blanket of green. I shivered, wrapping my arms around my body, biting my lip as I wandered through the undergrowth. It was approaching mid-afternoon, if my calculations were correct, which meant time was running out. I would not,could not,be here when the sun went down. If this place posed a danger during the day, night-time was another story.
Mama said demonic creatures roamed the Sötét Erdo in the darkest hours. Only the most desperate of animals would dare venture out at dusk. Even the incubi returned to their caves and the water faeries to their fabled homes beneath glistening pools. One did not make deals with the devil and to cross his servants’ paths only ended in suffering.
Attempting to ward off the unwanted chill of both winter and wickedness, I summoned a ball of light to guide me, the golden globe humming faintly as it floated above one hand.
Laszlo crept along beside me, his tail between his legs and ears alert as we trekked deeper into the heart. I wished he wasn’t with me. His presence was a comfort, but after earlier events, I couldn’t bear the thought of him getting hurt again.
“At least the wolves won’t bother us, right boy?” I whispered, stroking a hand along his sleek back. He didn’t deign to answer and my voice seemed to carry unnaturally loudly over the forest floor. Gnarled roots twisted before my feet and the bark cladding tree trunks seemed to be stripped from many of the surrounding trees. It was normal for deer to chew on it or stags to sharpen their horns, but the teeth marks and claws striping their trunks suggested a much larger animal was the cause.
The air was stifling, the atmosphere filled with a hazy smog that dulled the senses and stole the energy from my limbs. Something was wrong. The woods were never this ominous, even with all the wickedly horrid creatures that patrolled its depths. The dagger on my leg was a comforting weight, and I found my fingers latching onto the hilt, keenly aware of the deadly steel.
My thoughts drifted to Eszter. She’d be so upset at me, but I knew my sister—she’d cover for me for as long as possible, which should get me to dinner time at least. We always ate together, and Mama would be suspicious if I was late, then hysterical once she realised where I had gone.
I sighed. Tonight would not be fun.
Mama’s wrath was the least of my worries. Something squelched beneath my boot, and I halted, crouching to discern the source. It was wet—viscous and black as tar. The smell of rot climbed my nose and I stifled a gag as I studied the pool of … whatever it was. The trail only continued and I cautiously followed the path, eyes darting around me as I noted the same substance clinging to curled up leaves. Everything it touched was blackened and dead.
Laszlo whined and I dropped lower, instantly drawing my dagger and winking out the light. Darkness overcame us and I strained my ears for any sound, hearing nothing. Laszlo whimpered again, this time bolting ahead through the trees.
“Not you too,” I groaned, running after him. “Laszlo,” I hissed, but my words fell on deaf ears. I scrambled through the foliage blindly, hoping against hell that we didn’t have more creatures to fight.
He skidded to a stop and I almost slipped in a large pool of slick liquid when hands grabbed me from behind and hurled me backwards. Panicking, I struggled against muscled arms, far too strong for me to escape. A hand clapped over my mouth, silencing my cries.
“Quiet,” a familiar voice hissed into the shell of my ear. “We’re being watched.”
Ceasing my flailing, I looked around the clearing we’d come to, noting strange silvery-blue eyes now gleaming from the darkness. The reflection of the fire from the stranger’s discarded torch rippled in their eyes. What was happening to the creatures in this place?
I suppressed a shudder, leaning against the warm, hard chest behind me just a little. We stood for several quiet moments when whatever watched us from the shadows slowly slunk back into darkness.
We waited a little longer before the táltos released me. “I told you to go home. The woods aren’t safe.” His eyes blazed with anger, as if he wasn’t used to someone disobeying him.
I rolled my eyes. “Oh, sure, but the big, brutish táltos can strut around like he owns the place. I told you,I wasn’t leaving without Hanna. Why are you here? Did you develop a shred of decency while I was gone?”
“Naughty witch,” he replied drily, ignoring my questions. A flicker of amusement swam in his eyes. “You followed me here, didn’t you?”
Indignation overrode my senses, and I whirled on him. “It amazes me how self-absorbed you are. I’m surprised your head isn’t dragging on the ground with how full of shit it is.”
He scowled, but I could have sworn his eyes glimmered with amusement for a split second. At least the bastard had a sense of humour, even if he was still lying to my face. But I could play along if it meant I might find some answers.
He sighed, the mirth leaving his face, his muscles growing taut as his gaze swept behind me. “I found Hanna, but she’s ...”
His sentence trailed off, but he sounded … regretful, almost. Not quite sad, but sympathetic at the very least. My heart skipped a beat as his words sunk in, salty to swallow and heavy as stones in my stomach. I made to turn, but he clasped me firmly by the shoulders. “Don’t look. This isn’t something you can unsee.”
